Brandon Fusco is unaccustomed to being a midseason newsmaker, never mind a May headliner. But there was the Vikings guard Wednesday holding court about his new job in Minnesota’s shifting offensive line.

Fusco debuted at left guard during this week’s organized team activities at Winter Park, a position switch that solves one offseason riddle while creating new intrigue at right guard. He paired with left tackle Matt Kalil to help protect quarterback Teddy Bridgewater’s blind side as each lineman seeks redemption from a disappointing 2014 season.

Fusco’s season was cut short after only three games because of a torn pectoral muscle that required surgery, while Kalil muddled through injuries and inconsistencies that raised questions about his viability as a starter.

Coach Mike Zimmer acknowledged Fusco should help Kalil but said the move cleared a spot at right guard for rookie T.J. Clemmings, a fourth-round pick who played right tackle in college at Pittsburgh.

“It was really about putting him over there, putting Clemmings at the right side and making it easier for him,” Zimmer said. “We know that Fusco can always move back if we plug somebody else at left guard.”

“Subject to change” is the mantra of OTAs.

“Right now we want to leave guys alone; we don’t want to move them around all over the place,” Zimmer added. “So we’re going to leave (Clemmings) right there for right now and then evaluate it and maybe make some changes after a while.”

Fusco spent the offseason rehabbing and rebuilding his strength before learning about the switch two weeks ago. He has not played left guard since high school but played tackle and center in college before nailing down a starting job with the Vikings in 2012.

“It’s the coach’s decision, and I’m going to do what they tell me to do. I’m willing to help the team out any way I can,” he said Wednesday. “It’s really just different weight distribution off the line, footwork. It’s really not too much to change.”

Sidelined since late September, Fusco is thrilled to be back on the field, and the Vikings are eager to reintegrate one of their most consistent and reliable run blockers.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” Fusco said. “It’s been a long time. I’ve never been hurt (long term) before. My goal is to stay healthy, have a great year and play good football.”

Gone is veteran Charlie Johnson, a former left tackle who moved to guard in 2012 after the Vikings drafted Kalil fourth overall. Both struggled last season in pass protection, especially against the blitz.

Fortifying left guard is pivotal to rebuilding Kalil’s game after Minnesota exercised the 2016 option on his rookie contract.

“You kind of want to get to the point where you don’t have to communicate,” Kalil said about his linemates. “You know the guy you’re playing next to so well, you can just kind of sense what he’s going to do in certain situations. But having Fusco there and us working together, only time will tell.”

Meanwhile, right tackle Phil Loadholt was limited to individual drills as he winds down rehabilitation from pectoral surgery that ended his 2014 season after Week 12. Mike Harris took Loadholt’s first-team snaps Wednesday, but Loadholt expects to resume full-contact work before training camp opens in late July.

“Lot of rehab,” he said of his offseason. “I’m just rebuilding the strength back in my pec and stuff like that to get after it.”

Center John Sullivan, who signed a contract extension in March, is coming off another solid season commanding the unit. Joe Berger is a valuable swingman who filled in for Fusco at right guard and is a viable candidate should Clemmings falter.

Brian Murphy has been on the Pioneer Press sports staff since 2000, migrating from the Detroit Free Press, where he covered police, courts and sports for four years. Murphy was the Minnesota Wild/NHL beat writer from 2002 to 2008 and has covered the Vikings as a reporter and columnist since 2009. Murphy is a Detroit native and Wayne State University graduate.

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